Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Tom Holland as Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Superhero Movies Upcoming Marvel movies and shows for 2026 and beyond
Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man in Masters of the Universe
Movies Upcoming movies: The most exciting new movies coming in 2026 and beyond
One Piece
Netflix The 25 best shows on Netflix to watch in 2026
Dune
Movies Movie release dates 2026: Every major film coming to cinemas and streaming
Walton Goggins as the Ghoul in Fallout season 2
TV The 25 best shows on Amazon Prime Video to watch right now
Cillian Murphy as Tommy in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
Movies The 25 best movies on Netflix to watch right now
Austin Abrams as Bryan in Resident Evil
Horror Movies New Resident Evil movie takes place "on the periphery" of Resident Evil 2, and everything else we learned from the set
The Lion King is undoubtedly one of the best movies on Disney Plus
Movies The 30 best movies on Disney Plus to watch right now
Best Spider-Man movies
Marvel Movies The best Spider-Man movies of all time, ranked from worst to best
Spider-Man and Boomerang fighting in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Superhero Movies Upcoming superhero movies: every Marvel, DC, and comic book movie in 2026 and beyond
Insidious: Out of the Further
Horror Movies Insidious 6 is set to introduce "funny", Dracula-esque villain played by A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms star
DCU Chapter One explained: James Gunn smiling.
Superhero Movies DCU Chapter One: Every movie and show in the new DC cinematic universe
A close-up of Leon, frowning in a big black coat, in Resident Evil Requiem
Horror Games The 25 best horror games worth playing in 2026
Milly Alcock as Supergirl in upcoming DC movie Supergirl
Superhero Movies Upcoming DC movies and TV shows: Every DCU title coming soon
Austin Abrams as Bryan in Resident Evil
Horror Movies Upcoming horror movies coming in 2026 and beyond
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

50 Greatest Villains Of 2012

Features
By George Wales published 29 February 2012

Booooo! Hissssss!

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Subscribe to our newsletter

The Trolls

The Film: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Villain: A trio of trolls who Bilbo falls foul of on his journey to face the story’s Big Bad, Smaug (more on him in 2013). Remember those stone trolls in the extended cut of Fellowship of the Ring ? This is them!

How Scary:
Perhaps not as scary as the fearsome Smaug, but for a Hobbit who’s never previously left the Shire, they’re plenty scary enough.

Boris the Animal

The Film: Men In Black 3

The Villain: Jermain Clement will play Boris, a bearded biker hell-bent on killing Agent K in the ’60s. If he is successful, he’ll spark a chain reaction that will eventually lead to Earth’s destruction. Bummer.

How Scary: Given that Clement is involved, we’d bank on Boris playing it for laughs rather than scares.

Mickey Cohen

The Film: The Gangster Squad

The Viillain: Sean Penn’s ’40s mobster has Los Angeles in a stranglehold, until former military man Josh Brolin returns from combat to head up an elite squad of coppers charged with bringing the big man down.

How Scary:
Sean Penn always seems a bit unhinged. Couple that manic intensity with a character who’s rotten to the core, and you’ve got a formidable villain…

Latest Videos From
You may like
  • Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights 20 best movies on HBO Max to watch right now
  • Cillian Murphy as Tommy in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. The 25 best movies on Netflix to watch right now
  • Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man in Masters of the Universe Upcoming movies: The most exciting new movies coming in 2026 and beyond

The Lizard

The Film: The Amazing Spider-Man

The Villain: The reptilian alter-ego of Dr. Curt Connors is the latest in a long line of mad scientists to attempt to lay waste to New York. Fortunately, Peter Parker helped bring him into being, so he should be well-placed to put a stop to his rampage…

How Scary: Rhy Ifans’ scenery-chewing antics in the trailer suggest to us that the Lizard will be taking a slightly pantomime approach to his villainy.

Queen Ravenna

The Film: Snow White and the Huntsman

The Villain:
Charlize Theron plays the wicked queen in this stylish retelling of the Snow White fairytale. What makes her so villainous? The fact she wants to eat Snow White’s heart, for starters…

How Scary: Heart-munching proclivities aside, we’ve a hunch Ravenna might be as sexy as she is scary…

Bond Villain #23

The Film: Skyfall

The Villain: We don’t know too much about Bond’s latest nemesis, save that he will be played by Javier Bardem and his plan will threaten MI6 itself. And if the on-set images of a haggard-looking Daniel Craig are anything to go by, he’s a villain who will push Bond to breaking point.

How Scary: If Bardem is even half as scary as he was in No Country For Old Men , we’ll be watching through our fingers…

Loki's Army

The Film: The Avengers

The Villain: Are they the Skrulls? Are they the Kree? Are they the sons of Muspell? We still don’t know for sure, although those figures spotted in the trailer look like the Skrulls to us. Or maybe the Frost Giants? Gaah, we just don’t know!

How Scary: Judging by the damage they cause to downtown Manhattan, very!

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Loki

The Film: The Avengers

The Villain:
Thor’s half-brother is back on the big screen, and this time he has an army backing him up. “You were made to be ruled,” he sneers at the inhabitants of Earth. Uh-oh…

How Scary:
Loki seems far more driven and far clearer in his ambitions, this time around. And then there’s that army he keeps banging on about…

Calvin Candie

The Film: Django Unchained

The Villain: Leo DiCaprio’s brutal owner of a slave plantation, who also runs “gentlemen’s club” Candyland. In case you were wondering, the employees of the latter are just about as liberated as those of the former.

How Scary: A sadistic, racist slave-owner, and a rapist to boot. Pretty scary, in other words.

Bane

The Film: The Dark Knight Rises

The Villain: A musclebound terrorist, possibly operating in conjunction with The League Of Shadows, Bane is hell-bent on reducing Gotham to a heap of smoking rubble. He’s not the first to want that of course, but from the looks of that stadium scene, he’s the best positioned to bring Gotham to its knees.

How Scary: Look at the state he leaves Bruce Wayne in in the trailer. Anyone who can do that to the Batman is worthy of your fear.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Current page: Page 5

Prev Page Page 4
George Wales
George Wales
Social Links Navigation

George was once GamesRadar's resident movie news person, based out of London. He understands that all men must die, but he'd rather not think about it. But now he's working at Stylist Magazine.

Read more
Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights
Movies 20 best movies on HBO Max to watch right now
 
 
Cillian Murphy as Tommy in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
Movies The 25 best movies on Netflix to watch right now
 
 
Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man in Masters of the Universe
Movies Upcoming movies: The most exciting new movies coming in 2026 and beyond
 
 
Jacob Elordi as the Creature in Frankenstein
Horror Movies The 25 best Netflix horror movies to watch right now
 
 
Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather.
Streaming Services The 20 best movies on Paramount Plus to watch right now
 
 
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in Sonic 3
Amazon Prime Video The 25 best movies on Prime Video to watch right now
 
 
Latest in Movies
Close up Noob Saibot's face in Mortal Kombat 2 trailer
Action Movies Mortal Kombat 2 writer reveals the fighter he cut from the script: "I wasn't able to devote enough time to sell him as a character"
 
 
The Mandalorian and Grogu
Star Wars Movies Pedro Pascal says he originally didn't realize Jon Favreau wanted him to play The Mandalorian in the Star Wars show
 
 
Grogu being painfully adorable in The Mandalorian and Grogu
Star Wars Movies Former Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy compares Mandalorian and Grogu director Jon Favreau to George Lucas
 
 
Mando and Baby Yoda in The Mandalorian and Grogu trailer
Star Wars Movies The Mandalorian knows Grogu "will outlive him" so he's "making sure" he "can survive without him"
 
 
andy serkis
Fantasy Movies Andy Serkis says he doesn't see a difference between game and movie acting: "Hollywood is using video game engines"
 
 
Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin unmasked in The Mandalorian and Grogu
Star Wars Movies Pedro Pascal wants to keep playing the Mandalorian for as long as the "many bodies we put into the suit can take it"
 
 
Latest in Features
Lost Odyssey screenshot
RPGs If you loved Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, find a way to play one of the Xbox 360's best-kept secrets
 
 
A Paladin in heavy armor leans on a shining sword
Tabletop Gaming "Our players are going to be pretty psyched": Hasbro CEO talks D&D, video games, and playing to win
 
 
Nathan Drake looks at some ruins as Sam watches, in Uncharted 4, from the PS5's Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection
Action Games 10 years later, Uncharted 4 remains the perfect antidote to overly bleak and serious adventuring
 
 
The official Summer Game Fest logo in shades of purples and blues, with a pink circle surrounding the event's title
Games Summer Game Fest schedule 2026: Dates, times, and where to watch the showcases
 
 
Fox McCloud's rival Falco sitting in the cockpit of an Arwing in a screenshot taken from Star Fox for the Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo Switch 2 Star Fox 64 remains one of Nintendo's greatest action games, and its Switch 2 remake will prove it to a new generation
 
 
Adeline Rudolph as Kitana in Mortal Kombat 2
Action Movies Mortal Kombat 2 ending explained: who fights, who dies and every fatality
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Lost Odyssey screenshot
    1
    If you loved Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, find a way to play one of the Xbox 360's best-kept secrets
  2. 2
    10 Games like Persona 5 you should play next
  3. 3
    The Boys fans think season 5's POV episode reveals the order in which major Supes will die
  4. 4
    The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess finally gets a fanmade PC port
  5. 5
    10 years later, Uncharted 4 remains the perfect antidote to overly bleak and serious adventuring

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...